Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.
National Ballet to appeal against unfair dismissal of dancer for breaking quarantine
Former Korean National Ballet member Na Dae-han.
By Kwon Mee-yoo
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Labor authorities have ruled that Na Dae-han, a former dancer of the Korean National Ballet (KNB) fired for violating self-quarantine rules in February, was wrongfully dismissed.
The National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) reconvened and concluded that he was unfairly dismissed in October, taking the dancer's side.
The NLRC said Na's violation of self-isolation and traveling to Japan during the period violated the duties of obedience and dignity maintenance in public service regulations and thus provided grounds for disciplinary action.
But, the commission reached the conclusion that his act wasn't a cause for dismissal under the company's collective agreement and the troupe's discharge of Na was an abuse of its discretion on dismissal. The NLRC took into consideration that the ballet company did not warn members about the significance of self-quarantine regulations and other members who also violated the rules were only suspended.
The NLRC ordered the KNB to reinstate Na, but the ballet company objected, saying Na's actions amid the escalating COVID-19 situation had severely damaged the reputation of the state-run troupe and his dismissal was inevitable.
The company filed a move for the withdrawal of the NLRC's re-examination of the Na case in the Seoul Administrative Court.
Na, a graduate of the Korea National University of Arts, joined the KNB in 2018 and was promoted to corps de ballet in 2019. He gained popularity through Mnet romance reality show "Somebody."
The national company presented “Swan Lake” in southeastern city of Daegu on Feb. 14-15 and as the number of COVID-19 cases in the city spiked in late February, the company ordered its members to self-quarantine to aid in prevention of further possible spread of the virus.
The self-quarantine rule applied to the dancer was not a mandatory government order but a internally-decided preemptive measure by the ballet company after touring the COVID-19 swept region.
Na traveled to Japan with his girlfriend during this period and posted photos from the trip on Instagram, Feb. 27.
"As a national troupe, we are sorry for causing public concern when Korea is in hard times facing COVID-19. Through this incident, the national ballet company will reform itself, enforcing strict discipline," the KNB said in a statement in March.
After a disciplinary committee meeting, Na was dismissed on March 16, the first dismissal in the troupe's 58-year history.
Kwon Mee-yoo